Card shuffler



1954 J. w. HADFIELD ET AL 2,696,385

CARD SHUFFLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 15, 1951 1954 J. w. HADFIELD ETAL 2,696,385

CARD SHUFFLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 15,.1951

- end of base 14 substantially to United States Patent CARD SHUF'FIJER John W..Hadfield andJohn W. Hadfi'eld, Jr., Elkins Park, la.

The present invention relates to improvements in card shrrfliers.

Prior to this invention automatic card 'shufilers have been (characterized generally by a casing in which the cards are caused .to fall back and forth, the movements of :the cards Ibeing interrupted by :pins or projections which acted to separate the deck or decks into several separate groups of cards. The effect was that of a multiplicity f cuts :rather than the thorough shuffling action ofrh'e conventional manual method. The prior mechanical (devices tended therefore to let the cards remain :in pairs or larger units so that complete shufliing was not attained The .present invention contemplates a novel method and apparatus :for shufiiing cards more effectively than the .prior mechanical methods and affording results as good or better than those obtainable :by the manualrrreans.

.A'nobject of our invention, therefore, is to provide a card ishuflier which will effectively separate each and every :card from the adjacent cards in the deck.

A further object is to provide a card shufiiing device which will operate effectively with decks of Varying sizes. I

A still further object is to provide a card shuffling device which will allow the operator to observe the action #Of the shufller.

Other objects of our invention will appear in the annexed specification, (of which the attached drawings constitute a part.

In .the drawings:

11 is aside elevational view of a shufller made in accordance with our invention, a portion of the casing being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a sectional 2--2 of Pig. fl;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the operation of loading the cards in the shuffler;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the elements of our invention; an

Fig. 5 is :a' cards being displaced from the shuffling device after the shuflling operation has been completed.

Referring more specifically to :the drawings, the card shufiier consists of three major components, namely, the standard .11, the rotatable member 12, and the card tray 13. I

The standard 11 comprises a generally rectangular base 14 with upstanding support elements 15 and 16 positioned centrally of the long edges of said rectangle and arranged to journal the rotatable member 12 at 17 and 18 respectively. Extending longitudinally from one the other end of said 19 arranged for the view of the shuffler on the line base is a centrally located recess reception of the card tray 13.

The rotatable member 12 is essentially a shallow octagonal prismatic casing 20 mounted on an axial shaft 21 which is mounted for rotation in journals 17 and 18. With reference to Fig. 2, shaft 21 is formed with a flange 22 at its left end to which the casing 20 is affixed. A cap screw 23 precludes disengagement of the left hand end of shaft 21 from journal 17. A sleeve 24, at the right hand end of shaft 21, seats in journal 18 and has a flange 10 to which the casing 20 is also affixed. A handle 25 is attached to sleeve 24 and shaft 21 by a set screw 26 and precludes disengagement of the right end of the shaft 21 from journal 18.

The casing 20 is formed with spaced confronting genfragmentary sectional view showing the.

. tremities of slots -45 2,696,385 Patented Dec. 7,, 1954 ice era'lly octagonal side walls .27, 27, and a peripheral wall 28, the spacing of the walls 27., 27 being slightly greater than the facial width of the cards :as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. Spaced radially inwardly of the octagonal eripheral wall 28 is a quadrilateral inner wall .29. The side walls 27, 27,1peripheral wall 28, and inner wall '29 thereby form an annular channel 31. It should be noted that the radial width f the channel .31, as determined .by the spacing between the walls 28 and 29 is substantially less than the facial length of the cards so that there is no possibility of the cards reversing in the channel 311. An opening 32 in the wall 28 admits the cards 33 .to the channel, and a detachable cover 34, held in place :by a latch 35 and keeper .36, normally closes the :opening .32 and is formed so as to afford an uninterrupted surface at the inner side of the peripheral wall 128 as best illustrated in Fig. l.

To inner wall 29, midway of each side, is rafiixed :an inner wedge member .37, the purpose @of which will :be more fully set forth hereinafter. Opposin-g ithree of these inner wedge members 37 are outer wedge members .38 affixed to the .peripheral wall 28.

Interrupting the channel 31 are stationary .pins 41 and 42, and slidably mounted pins 43 :and 44. These pins are mounted in the .side walls 27 and are constructed and arranged to lie parallel to peripheral wall 28 :and inner wall 29. :I-t'is to be noted that .a pin 41 is mounted :opposite each wedge shaped member 37 and spaced fromsaid member at a distance which :permits passage simultaneously of only. a limited number of cards. The pins 42 are radially aligned both with the wedge :shape'd :members 37 and the .pins 41, and are spaced from the latter to an extent approximately equal to the aforementioned spacing of the pins 41 from the wall 29. Sliding pins 43., aligned with pins 41, and 42 and wedges .37 and 38 are s lidable radialwise within limits afforded by the ex- .in side walls 27., in which the pins are mounted. Pins 44 are similarly slidably mounted in slots 46 which, in the present embodiment, are spaced 45 circumferentially from slots 45. The operation of these pins in conjunction with wedges 37 and 38 will be more fully described hereinafter.

The collector tray 13, as set forth above, is arranged for sliding engagement with recess v19 in base 1 1. The

. tray is, generally, a rectangular trough closed at one end,

48, and open .at the other, 49. The .end 49 is maintained in an elevated position by a substructure 50 as best illustratedin Fig. 4.

In the operation of the 'aforedescribed device, the cards 33 are inserted in the channel 31 through opening 32, as with their faces confronting one of the inner and outer peripheral walls 28 and 29 respectively, shown in Fig. 3. The cover 34 is replaced, and the casing '12 is rotated clockwise by handle 25 by the arrow .in Fig. 1. As rotation is started the cards 33 will tend to move with parts of the cycle. casing will have a tendency to fall forward under the force of gravity, and the fallingcards will be deflected outward by wedge .37 and will be partially separated from one another by pins 41, 42, and 43. Further rotation will cause the pin 43 to fall outwardly thereby further separating the cards. At the bottom of the annular channel, some cards 33 will be carried around by engagement of their rearward edges with the flat forward faces of the wedge 38, and further rotation carries these cards upwardly. Other cards urged upwardly by pin 43 backwardly into engagement with pin 44 effecting a further separation. As the mass of cards finishes the first revolution many will cascade backward counterclockwise, and the remainder will cascade forward clockwise under the rotating action of the casing 20 and wedges 37. Upon the double cascade, each group is further separated by the pins, and the two groups of cards are joined at the bottom in intermingling relation. Continuous rotation for a minute or less will thoroughly shufiie the cards.

At the termination of this initial action, the cover 34 may be removed from opening 32, and the casing 28 may be rotated counterclockwise. The wedge shaped members permit the cards to collect and to fall out into the collector tray 13 as illustrated in Fig. 5.

the casing in the horizontal as indicated The cards in the upper part of the The speed of rotation to accomplish these ends must be such that some individual cards are carried around with the casing 20 and some are allowed to fall back. The speed may be gauged by the falling of the sliding pins 43 and 44 in their slots 45 and 46. When the speed is such that the centrifugal force maintains the pins .in an outward radial position, it is an indication that the speed must be reduced.

It is apparent that the sliding of pins 43 and 44 affords greater separation of the cards in theirtravel relative to the channel 31 and thereby effects more efiicient shufiling. The sliding pins being always in a lowered position relative to the base tend to carry the cards with the casing. Similarly in going around corners the sliding pins elfectively eliminate the cards jamming at the corner and clogging the machine.

The effect of the wedges is to carry cards during clockwise rotation and to allow them to tumble out during counterclockwise rotation.

While the illustrated embodiment is adapted for hand operation, it is within the scope of the invention to attach a motor or some other mechanical driving device. Similarly while the illustrated embodiment has proved itself quite effective in shuffling action, considerable deviation in structural detail is possible within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a device for shuffling playing cards, a casing comprising front and rear relatively spaced substantially parallel walls of generally rectangular form with widely bevelled corners, means forming a central axis of rotation for said walls, said casing comprising also an outer peripheral wall extending continuously around the peripheral edges of the front and rear walls, and an inner wall spaced from and approximately parallelling the said outer wall and defining with the latter a channel of generally rectangular cross-sectional form between the front and rear walls and extending continuously around said axis, the transverse or axial width of the casing being greater than the facial width of the conventional playing card but less than the facial length of said card, whereby the channel is adapted to receive the cards in face-confronting relation to said inner and outer walls, means for rotating the casing in one direction to shuflle the cards therein and in the opposite direction to accumulate the cards in the lower portion of the casing, thin elongated wedge members on the interior surfaces of said inner and outer walls disposed substantially parallel to the axis of rotation and projecting interiorly of said channel, each said wedge member being arranged so as to form a shoulder on F the said interior surface facing in said one direction of rotation to thereby engage and effect rotary movement of the cards with the casing only upon its rotation in said one direction, and being operable to cascade the cards engaged therewith forwardly in said one direction of rotation and to afford a rearward cascading of the remainder of the cards, a plurality of axially disposed pins intersecting said channel and operable to deflect the cards in their forward and rearward cascades, certain of said pins being slidably mounted and free for limited radial movement in said casing upon rotation of the latter to thereby eifect radial movement of said cascading cards, and one of said slidable pins being mounted adjacent each of the said widely bevelled corners of the casing to assist said forward and rearward cascade of the cards, and means providing an opening in one of the Walls of the channel to admit the cards into said channel.

2. In a device for shufiling playing cards, a casing comprising front and rear relatively spaced substantially parallel walls of generally rectangular form with widely bevelled corners, means forming acentral axis of rotation ripheral wall extending continuously around the peripheral edges of the front and rear walls, and an inner wall spaced from and approximately parallelling the said outer wall and defining with the latter a channel of generally rectangular cross-sectional form between the front and rear walls and extending continuously around said axis, the transverse or axial width of the casing being greater than the facial width of the conventional playing card but less than the facial length of said card, whereby the channel is adapted to receive the cards in face-confronting relation to said inner and outer walls, means for rotating the casing in one direction to shuffle the cards therein and in the opposite direction to accumulate the cards in the lower portion of the casing, thin elongated wedge members approximately midway of each face of said inner wall disposed substantially parallel to the axis of rotation and projecting interiorly of said channel, complementary wedge members on the outer wall of said channel in radial alignment with said wedge members on the inner wall, each said wedge member being arranged so as to form a shoulder on the associated wall facing in said one direction of rotation, each said shoulder projecting radially with respect to said axis a predetermined short distance into said channel to thereby effect rotary movement of the cards with the casing only upon its rotation in said one direction, and being operable to cascade the cards engaged therewith forwardly in said one direction of rotation and to afford a rearward cascade of the remainder of the cards, three axially disposed pins intersecting said channel in alignment with each inner wedge member and the cards in their forward and rearoutermost pin being mounted for said channel outwardly adjacent each of said bevelled corners of the casing for radial sliding movement to thereby assist said forward and rearward cascade of the cards upon rotation of the casing, means providing an opening in the outer wall of said channe and a closure for said opening, which when displaced, will afford discharge of the accumulated cards from the casing when the latter is rotated in said opposite direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,569,277 Gunzelman et al Jan. 12, 1926 2,137,513 Stonebraker Nov. 22, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 73,869 Germany Mar. 14, 1894 5,803 Great Britain 1909 341,727 Great Britain Jan. 22, 1931 v 

